


A different option

by Carabesh



Category: Dark Souls (Video Games)
Genre: Gen, Implied Slash, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-08
Updated: 2019-02-08
Packaged: 2019-10-24 16:45:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17707943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carabesh/pseuds/Carabesh
Summary: During the fight in Lost Izalith the Chosen Undead refuses to kill his friend.





	A different option

Lost Izalith reeked of death and damnation.

The unsettling feeling crawling through this layer was even more noticeable than in any other place he had visited before. It was looming in the corners of each twisted turn and every passage. He knew something was waiting here for him. Something he truly didn’t want to encounter.

And yet he bravely fought every enemy that would present to him. Each monster and abomination that stood in his way of fulfilling the dead knights last request. The one who helped him escape from the asylum and payed for it with his life. That much he owed him. It was the least he could do.

The only beacon of hope, of almost literal light in his gloomy quest, had been knight Solaire. Whom he frequently encountered in Anor Londo and the Undead Parish. It filled him with joy to meet this man and his uplifting words. He relished each reunion and tried to hold onto these memories as much as possible when his spirit would fade and flicker.

But their last meeting had left him with a bitter aftertaste.

Solaire had obviously been in dismay by the futility of his personal task of finding his sun. He still couldn’t quite grasp whether the knight was being metaphorical or literal. But it didn’t matter. All that he could care about was seeing this usually jolly man defeated on the ground and in despair. Nothing he tried would cheer him up, no words of his came through to him. 

It gnawed at his very core.

He had rested besides him until he could no more, and his own path forced him to continue. Even though he desperately wanted nothing more than to stay with Solaire. The inner pull was to strong, almost yanking him to his feet and hauling him across the place. It was a dire feeling.

He knew it was wrong to leave his friend vulnerable like this.

Yet he had to move on.

Each victory over any oppressor brought no satisfaction, as his mind kept wandering back to Solaire and his own desperate plea that he would stay safe.

Safe in a land where nothing was sacred.

Lost Izalith was just waiting to churn him through the gutter with anything, and he knew it would involve his friend.

Each step forward was dreaded.

Each step forward was a silent prayer.

And each step forward was another reminder that he couldn’t turn around.

Until he finally met Solaire again.

 

The hallway was narrow and overgrown with dead roots and tree branches. The damn maggots kept crawling and climbing everywhere. And one had managed to latch onto Solaire, sitting on his head like king on a throne, blinding him with its empty light.

He would rip this fake sun and squash it for what it had done to his friend and how it had corrupted him.

But he couldn’t bring himself to land a hit on Solaire.

This man meant so much to him. Too much. 

Lost Izalith had found his weakness. And so had he, albeit too late.

He just couldn’t kill him, not when he wasn’t truly hollow yet. As long as hope prevailed, he was ready to believe.

Solaires sword slashed and hacked at him. He quickly jumped back, dodging the attack, only to get his foot caught in one of the roots. He stumbled. Just as Solaires sword came in for a horizontal cut across his throat. 

He fell to the ground, bracing his drop and rolling backwards, getting more distance between them. He panted. Under his armor he was heating up. From the battle and from his emotions.

Rage and panic. Fury and agony. His hope was a dimming spark. He could not allow it to suffocate.

He hadn’t been able to save the great grey wolf, or Oscar. Or anyone else. 

At least he had to be able to save Solaire.

Solaire drove his sword forward towards him and he raised his shield in a desperate attempt to parry. Still thinking on how he could gain control over this situation.

He had to disarm him. Then from behind. Get him to the ground.

Not a great plan, but at least something.

Steel crashed against steel and he felt the vibrations of the force in every bone. He tried his best to subdue a stagger.

Another hit. Another stagger.

And another.

His stamina was dwindling.

He had to make his move now, or it would be too late.

He summoned all of his strength into his core. Each little string, every small tension in his body.

And slammed his shield right into Solaire’s chest.

The knight groaned and gasped at the impact drove the air out of his lungs. 

But he wasn’t done yet.

He braced his shield with both of his hands; and dove against Solaire one more time. This time he kept charging.

The force of his assault knocked the knights back into the wall. Solaire grunted in pain, his sword cluttering to the ground from his grasp. He could show mercy later.

The knights left hand rose and the spark of a lightning bolt was imminent. He punched his wrist against the stone and heard a sickening crack. Solaire howled in pain. Guilt rushed through him. He chose to ignore it. Later it would have time to swallow him up.

Now he had to be fast. Or it would all be for nothing.

He dropped his sword and shield, dug his gloved fingers in the tattered green left-overs of Solaires cloak and forced all of his weight onto the knight’s shoulders. His knee thrust up. Right into Solaires stomach. 

Solaire retched as bile rushed through his throat and into his mouth from the kick. Reflexive tears streamed down his face. The knight buckled forward into his shoulder and he could feel the wet tickle as some of the acidic fluid creeped down his back and partly into the hinges of his armor. 

He wasted not a second.

With his grip still strong in the tuft of the cloak he flung the knight to the ground and yanked his arms behind his back locking them in place with a strong hold. In a swift move he positioned himself on Solaires spine and kicked the swords away. He made himself heavy, as much as possible a stiff weight on the knights’ center, preventing him from getting up again and locking him into place. 

Solaire thrashed in his hold and the maggot on his head screeched.

It knew what was coming.  
With his right hand he grabbed its face and started to pull. His fingers digging deep into the cracks of it chitinous body.

Both, the maggot and Solaire now screamed in anguish. It shook him to his core. 

The extensions of the maggots’ body, so much resembling the rays of a sun, wrapped around his wrist and his arm, squeezing and churning his flesh even through his armor.

It felt like a fire bolt exploding in his hand.

But he didn’t back down, didn’t let go. He put even more tension into his grip.

“No! My sun! Please! Don’t!”

He didn’t listen. For now, Solaires pained pleas had to fall on deaf ears.

He gritted his teeth and was sure they would shatter at any given moment.

He could feel beads of sweat roll down over every inch of his skin and every single joint in his body raged against him.

The maggot lost its grip agonizingly slow on Solaires head. The barbed hooks on its many feet leaving his face with scratches and ripping out strands of blondish hair and dragged the knights head along with its body.

“No! Stop it!”

It was the final straw. He released his hold on the knights wrists and slammed his left arm against Solaires neck, forcing him and the creature apart in a sudden rushed movement.

The sound the maggot finally loosing its hold was revolting, but it came off.

With a weak groan Solaire collapsed on the cold stone floor and he could see the knight drawing in ragged gasps of air. His face wet with a mixture of tears, sweat and blood. 

He himself released a breath he hadn’t realized to hold in. He was winded, more than from any other fight.

The maggot snarled and started to writhe in his hand, clasping its feet and tentacles in any direction. He offered it a single look of disgust.

Then, he flung out his dagger.

 

He carried Solaire to the closest bonfire he could think of. The knight was a dead weight on his back, his arms hanging over his shoulders with no tension or hold. His breath came in short, hot pants against his neck and was the only thing reminding him that his friend was still alive.

He couldn’t find his signature helmet. And he didn’t really care at that moment.

Truth to be told, he never wanted to return to this passage again in his life, even if he could retrieve it.

He rekindled the fire until sparks of ember rose into the air above them. Slow and careful he settled Solaire on the ground, close to the embrace of heat and light.

His knees trembling from pure exhaustion and emotional distress. He drew in one shuddering breath after another, dropping beside his friend wanted to weep.  
There was no time yet. 

He fished in his pockets and pouches for anything that could aid him. Old pieces of cloth and an almost empty water bag. It would have to do for now.

He started by wetting the cloth and carefully dabbed the bloodied dirt and tear-streaked grime from Solaires face. His friend didn’t so much as react to his touch. He worried but continued until only pale skin remained.

When he was done, he moved on to the wrist he had punched and removed the knights metal bracelet. How he had managed to land that blow without breaking his own hand was beyond him. The ghost of a thought about how easily he could have lost that fight appeared in the back of his mind. It didn’t matter right now and he banished it for later pondering. 

Cautiously his naked fingers brushed over the joint, feeling for any disturbance of broken bones. The skin was already turning to a deep reddish-blue colour and swelling angrily.

The guilt he had swallowed before burst out from its mental cage and he felt a deep remorse for his action. He tried to set it, wrapping a makeshift bandage around it and securing it as much as possible. Just as he was tying the knot he heard a small groan. He looked up from his work.

Solaire was sluggishly dragging his head around, seemingly trying to make sense of his situation, his tired eyes finally landing on him. His dry lips cracked open, but no sound escaped.

Hastily he clutched his water bag and brought it to his friends’ mouth, guiding Solaire by lifting his head up and helping him drink.

He could hear the muscles in Solaires throat working as they pushed the water down into the knights stomach. As Solaire finished he steadily helped him to lie back down, his eyes closed again. He gave Solaire a few moments to recollect his thoughts in trying to remember what had happened.

Yet the silence was unnerving, only disturbed by the sizzling of the fire in his back and casting dancing shadows over their hunched bodies.

“My friend…,” he braced himself for any kind of verbal assault for his actions. 

He was ready to indulge in everything Solaire would throw his way and how he had churned him through this horrible experience. How he had violated the knights personal quest even if he had been under a wrongful impression of a false absolution. How he had brought nothing but pain for what Solaire had sought so hard for and with every single beat of his heart.

He was ready to succumb despair.

His entire form was shaking with anticipation, rattling his armor and making it hard to keep a hold of the water bag still in his hand. Tears welled up in his eyes, hidden behind his helmet. It took everything to subdue the impending sob.

A hand grasped his own. 

A wheeze hatched in his throat. 

Solaire slowly caressed his thumb over his bare hand. His eyes glassed over by exhaustion and sorrow, and yet a spark of hope still lingering deep inside them. Solaire guided his hand until it rested right above his heart and carefully pressed until it was flat on his chest. The chainmail was thick, but he swore he felt the steady beat even through the metal. 

“Thank you. For saving me.”

And with those words finally said, he removed his own helmet and bawled his tears out, pressing himself into the painted image of the sun on the knights armor.

Solaire kept holding his hand.

**Author's Note:**

> Rip that damn maggot off his head, seriously! Don't kill him!
> 
>  
> 
> And also, please make him romanceable.


End file.
